Gotham City High
by sophiepenbrook
Summary: The year was 1999 and I was starting my junior year of high school. My parents split up, and half way through the year things changed. My mother moved us away from Metropolis to Gotham City. Although it was a difficult transition, transferring over to Gotham High wasn't a bad choice. I ended up having the time of my life, and meeting some interesting people along the way.
1. Waller, Harvey, Bruce, Bullock

**Disclaimer: These characters are owned by DC with the exception of my OC Robin Hastings.**

AN: A thought came to me. What if I wrote a feel good story about high school, with some of our favorite characters, before they turned into the people we know and love. What hijinks could happenin high school? This is my best attempt at teenage angst, fluff, and humor. I needed a break from the dark stuff. I'm not sure how far I'll get with it, so let me know if you like it.

The year was 1999 and I was starting my junior year of high school. My parents decided to split up, and half way through the year things were changing. By mid February my mother moved us away from Metropolis and over to Gotham City two hours away. She needed some distance and I had no choice but to go with her. Although it was a difficult transition, in the end transferring over to Gotham City High School wasn't a bad choice. I ended up having the time of my life, and meeting some interesting people along the way.

My mother drove me to school the first day. She dropped me off at the front of the school in her silver Honda Accord. Kissing me goodbye she chimed in, "I hope your first day goes well. Maybe you'll make some friends today. Have fun kiddo!" I didn't need to reply, I just shrugged her off. She was always on me about making friends. In Metropolis I had a couple, but no one really close. Being a loner was my thing, and I was happy keeping it that way. The only problem being that you turned into a target real quick. I'm sure she just wanted me to start fresh and maybe be a little happier. After their split and my transition from middle school to high school, she noticed me change, and she wasn't wrong, but doesn't everyone at this stage?

Getting away from her and walking up to the school, I pushed my way past the big metal doors, and spilled into the enormous length of hallway. The noise from all the students was jarring. I got many looks as I made my way to the administration office at the end of the building. Going through that door it was much quieter. Taking a seat in a row of orange plastic chairs, I laid my packback down between my legs. The secretary behind the desk was jovial and asked for me to sign in. Taking the ballpoint pen attached to the desk, I scribbled down my name _Robin Hastings_.

I sat back down waiting to be called into the principal's office. Watching the clock intently, ten minutes went by quick. The bell for first period chimed. Soon after, the door to the office opened and I was met by an average height but heavy set African American woman. Her face was set in a grimace that was very intimidating. She waved me in. The nameplate on her desk read _Amanda Waller_. I took a seat in front of her, and she began interrogating me.

Holding my file in her hands she began, "Ms. Hastings, age seventeen. You were a junior at Metropolis High School. After looking over your records, it seems you are an exceptional student. You excel in academics, but don't take part in any social activities." She looked down through her wire rimmed glasses at me. "That might of been fine at Metropolis, but here at Gotham City High School, we have some better standards. We don't push anyone to join activities, but we do expect each and every student to be a representing body of this school. You might be bright, but by the way you're dressed, I'll be keeping an eye out on you." She put my file down.

I brushed back my black hair behind me ear, and asked questioningly, "My clothes?"

Her dark brown eyes staring into the soul of my green ones. "Yes. Your clothes. Your dressed like some skater punk. All that plaid and flannel. There are many more like you here, and I keep a close eye on them all. Consider this a warning." She got up from her desk, and came around to the side of my chair. "For your first day, we are setting you up with the senior-class president. He is a marvelous example of what it means to be a Gotham City High School student." A light rapping came from the door. Her voice changed into a lighter tone, "And there he is now."

The door opened and a handsome guy who stood five ten entered. He was wearing a olive green polo and a pair of khakis. "I hope I'm not late."

She motioned for him to come in, "Not at all." She gestured towards me, "Ms. Hastings, this is Harvey Dent."

I extended a hand, and his eyes met mine. He gave a picture perfect smile and shook it. "And do you have a first name Ms. Hastings?"

I tried not to blush and replied, "Yes, it's Robin."

Waller interrupted our small conversation, "Harvey, would you be kind enough to show her the school grounds?" She handed us each a piece of paper. "You both have a days length hallpass, so make sure your very thorough. This is a big school after all. Make her feel welcome and maybe introduce her to some more upstanding students like yourself."

"I sure will Ms. Waller." He motioned for me to go through before him and shut the door behind us. Before we left the office, the secretary handed me a lock with a combination number and my class schedule. Seeing this he suggested, "Maybe we should stop by your locker first, and drop off your stuff." We proceeded to walk half way down the hallway, when the second period bell rang. Students poured out into the hallway.

I looked down at the locker number on the piece of paper. Over the noise I said rather loudly, "Do you know where locker 918 is?" He nodded and started walking down another hallway. I tried to keep up, but was knocked down by someone else. The late bell started ringing. The procession of students began to dissipate, and I noticed a hand reaching down to me. When I looked up there was another handsome guy with black hair and blue eyes staring down at me. _What was it about this school?_ He wore a black and gold football jersey. I put out my hand and he jerked me up to my feet.

With a playboy smile he looked me over. "Are you ok?"

Readjusting my shirt I said quietly, "Yes. Yes I am."

He gave a light chuckle. "I'm glad. Sometimes the chaos of the halls can lead to unexpected accidents." From down the hallway we heard a voice.

"Hey Bruce!" He met up with us quickly. Rather matter of factly he stated, "I see you ran into our new student."

"Harv, your showing her around?"

"Yeah. We were just on our way to her locker. Number 918."

He turned back to me, "That's close to Pam's locker. I'll have to let her know to watch out for you." I managed to give a quick "Thanks". He looked up at the clock on the wall and cursed. " Shit! I have to go. If Mr. Fries catches me being late, I'll get a first class ticket to saturday detention." He turned to rush down the hallway, but not before saying goodbye to me and Harvey.

"Well I guess you got to meet your first fellow alum. His name is Bruce Wayne. He is the captain of the football team, and a close friend of mine. He actually helped me win the senior election. Great guy." He turned on his heels and proceeded down the hallway. I followed close behind. Finally we stopped in front of a set of lockers. "Here we are!" I opened up the door and stuffed my bag in, then locked it. Unfolding the schedule, he playfully grabbed it from my hands. "Lets see here. First period is Social Studies with Mr. Bullock." He folded the paper back up and handed it to me. Rather sarcastically he mentions, "He's a piece of guy can teach, but he has a real chip on his shoulder. Don't get on his bad side. And never mention the state of his desk. The guys a slob."

I gave him a little laugh, "Thanks. That's good to know." I followed him to the end of the hallway near the double doors that led outside.

He motioned to look in through the window of the door. "Take a good look. You'll be greeted by that lovely face every morning." I peered in and caught a glance. There was a middle aged man with his feet kicked up on his desk. The room was silent as everyone was taking a test. He was overweight with a couple stains on his button down shirt. There was an open box of doughnuts beside him.

"You weren't kidding." Looking at the paper again I read aloud, "Second period. Literature with Mr. Pennyworth." He quickly grabbed my hand and we went through the doors outside.

AN: There you have it! And it's just the beginning. I plan on introducing a whole slew of your favorite characters including Selina, Ivy, Harleen, Jack, Jonathan, Jervis, Eddie, and Ozzy. Any many more familiar faces for the staff. Thanks for reading!


	2. Pennyworth, Nora, Harleen, Pam

**Disclaimer: These characters are owned by DC with the exception of my OC Robin Hastings.**

"You know what. Let's take a short cut. He is in the Arts and Literature building." We slowly made our way across the campus along the track and football field. The large aluminum bleachers glittered in the light. There were a couple misfits hanging around, but one stood out in particular. He was hiding underneath the bleachers, leaning on a support beam smoking. Since we were so far away I couldn't get a good look, but his most defining feature was the electric green mohawk he was sporting. Harvey must've noticed me looking and warned, "I wouldn't stare over there too long. I don't think you're quite ready to deal with Jack."

I reply in a fake whine, "But your my guide! At least give me a last name."

He sounded annoyed. "Fine. Napier. Jack Napier. If you don't want Waller crawling up your ass, then you should keep your distance."

"That bad aye?" I gave a little giggle.

He stopped and turned to stare at me. "It's not laughing matter. The guy is a grade A psycho. He's into blood sports, or just blood in general."

I tried to reassure him, "Ok. Ok. I'll stay away." We finally made it to the building on the opposite side of campus. Upon entering, I was amazed at how creative the inside felt. "Wow you guys take everything seriously."

"You don't even know the half of it." He continued down the hallway until we reached red door littered with quotes from famous authors. He once again motioned for me to look through the classroom window. There stood an older gentleman. Graying hair and a thin mustache. He was teaching the class with vigor. Pacing around the room and doing his best impression of Shakespeare, one hand held high above his head while he read to the class.

I turned back to Harvey, "Well he seems very enthusiastic and fun."

He gave me a big smile. "Yup. He's one of the greats. You'll never be bored in his class." His body language shifted into a calm demeanor. "Instead of hopping back and forth between buildings, let me just show you the rest of the upperclassmen rooms here." He slowly sauntered down the hall, and we stopped at another colorful door. This time it had pictures of famous painters on it. "This is Mrs. Nora Fries's art room."

Looking through the window, I saw a young woman of medium height. She had long blonde hair, grey eyes, and an infectious smile. Dressed in a paint splattered apron she was giving the class a demonstration. With effortless strokes on canvas, she was painting a mountain scene. Her delicate hands working hard to carve out each summit. "Wow. She's beautiful!"

Harvey gave me a smug smile. "Yup. Mr. Fries is a lucky man. Just about every guy in this school has a crush on her."

He turned down the hallway and began walking again. This time we stopped in front of a set of industrial doors. He pushed them open relieving the huge auditorium. My eyes light up at the sheer size of the room. Then I turned to him, "Ok. I understand it's an auditorium, but why are you showing me this?" I began walking down the long aisle to the stage, Harvey following close behind.

"Because if you happened to have Drama with Ms. Madison, it would be here. Other than here, the next largest open area like this would be the gymnazium."

"Oh. You mean that big domed area near the main building?"

"One in the same." He turned around and walked back up the aisle. The bell for third period rang. When we reached the doors, another rush of kids emptied out into the hallway. Then I heard a female voice call over.

"Hey Harv, what cha doin' over here in this building?" A plucky looking blonde in pigtails ran over to us. She had a couple smudges of paint on her face.

His voice sounded gentle, "Oh. Hey, Harleen! I was just showing the new girl around." He gestured towards me and introduced us. "Robin Hastings, this is Harleen Quinzel. She's one of the schools star gymnasts."

She extended her hand, and I shook it. Raising an eyebrow I said, "You got a little paint on your face there."

She brought up the sleeve of her off the shoulder black and red checked sweater, and rubbed her cheek with a smile. When she pulled it away to look at it, she gave out a high pitched giggle, "Thanks for tellin me!" The late bell rang. "Sorry gotta go! I hope I see you around Robin!." She ran off with a spring in her step.

"She seems nice."

Harvey replied, "She is, but she's a bit of a ditz. I dated her once. Not really my type. She is, to say the least, easily manipulated. But a doll nonetheless." He took in a quick breath, "There is one more place I need to show you. It's in the basement."

I looked at him questioningly. "The basement?"

"Yeah, but don't be scared, it's just the woodshop. Do you have that on your schedule?"

I took the paper out again to check. "Yup. With Mr. Wesker sixth period."

"That's the guy. Follow me." He stopped in front of a stairwell. The staircase only went down, and it was dimly lit. Two flights down we were standing in another long hallway. There were panes of glass feet apart from each other down the whole length. Looking in there were tools everywhere. Bandsaws, tablesaws, spray painting stations, drill press, plastic tubs filled with odd cut pieces of wood, and a huge pegged wall of tools.

"Is there anything that this school hasn't dished out a bunch of cash for?"

He gave a laugh, "Nope. Not really. This school has standards. In fact, I'm sure they are willing to do anything to look better than our rival school Bludhaven. That place is a shit hole. The better we look, the more recruiting they can do when parents come to sporting events and see how great the campus is."

I raised an eyebrow, "That seems a bit...evil."

"But you've met Ms. Waller." He gave a smirk, "She's a bit rough around the edges, if you couldn't tell."

I gave a smile back, "I guess you're right. So where to next?"

"Let's go back to the main building. I can show you a couple more rooms before the lunch bell rings." He cocks and eyebrow. "Then the real fun begins."

"What do you mean?"

"Well you've met Bruce and Harleen, but at lunch, you get to see the whole ecosystem in order. The chaos and clicks. The student body I get to rule over." He smugly stated.

He was a nice guy, but his ego was starting to show. "Ok, fine. Lead the way." We took the elevator back up to the first floor, and exited onto the lawn of the field again. It was starting to get cloudy out. My eyes wandered over to the bleachers again searching, but that guy was gone. We stopped in front of the doors to the domed building.

He pushed open the doors to reveal an open space covered with shiny polished wooden floors. Basketball nets at either end, the wooden bleachers were folded back against the walls. There were kids gathered in small groups doing various activities. We walked along the outskirts of the gym to a second room at the end. There, the smell of chlorine was rampant. Going through the doors, my eyes widened at the sight of an olympic sized pool. "So that's what the dome is for?"

"Your exactly right. On nice days in the summer, it folds back so you get that outdoor feeling." Looking around I noticed someone walking towards us. She had long red hair and green eyes. The one piece dark green swimsuit clung to her curvy wet body. He spoke in a hushed voice, "My girlfriend Pam is coming over." She gave him a hug while staring me down with a playful smile.

"And who might this be?" She released from him and looked me over.

"This is Robin. Waller has me showing her around on her first day."

"Well how presidential of you Harv." Her hand touched my arm lightly and glided down into a handshake. "Nice to meet you Robin. I'm Pamela Isley" Her touch felt addicting. She released my hand and Harvey came up hugging her from behind. "So how's the tour going so far?" She seemed to ignore him as he nuzzled her wet hair.

Awkwardly I replied, "Great. Just great. This school is amazing, and Harvey has been very informative."

She turned around and looked up at him, "Informative huh? Has he told you about the upcoming football game?" She laid a kiss on his cheek.

I blushed a little and averted my eyes, "No. No, he hasn't. I normally don't go to football games, or any school sporting events."

She turned back to me with a smirk, "That's too bad. I'd love to get to know you better outside of school. I mean, not just me, but the little crew we have too."

He piped in, "She's already met Harleen."

Her eyes lit up, "That's great! Maybe us girls can hang out sometime?"

I gave a nervous chuckle, "Sure. Maybe we can do that."

"Great! Harv, make sure she sits with us at lunch. If you'll excuse me, I need to wash the chemicals out of my hair. I love the water, but hate the shit they put in it. I'll see you two soon." And with that she casually walked off to the locker rooms.

I was a bit dumbfounded, "Well she certainly has a way with words."

His voice had a hint of longing to it, "I know right." He shook his head a little suddenly and snapped out of it. "Uh, let's continue." We walked back to the gym, when we heard a whistle blow. A middle aged gentleman with grey hair and blue eyes was arguing with a group of boys. "That's the gym teach for the boys. Mr. Wilson. He's an army vet. Tough as nails, but only for the right reasons." He pointed over to the other corner of the gym. "And that's the girls gym teacher Ms. Wu-San. She coaches just about every female sports team we have." She was a petite Asian woman with dark brown hair and dark eyes. Her presence was intimidating. "Don't let her looks fool you, she is kick ass when it comes to breaking up fights. Rumor has it she's a black belt."

"Good to know." I followed him through another set of doors leading back into the main building. The bell for fourth period rang and more students filled the hall.

 **AN: Ok, so we met some more characters. I hope I can still keep your attention. Things might blow up a little at lunch during sixth period. Thanks for reading!**


	3. The Harvey Theory: Cliques and Chaos

**Disclaimer: These characters are owned by DC with the exception of my OC Robin Hastings. I hope I'm doing a good job at explaining these characters because there are more to come.**

I tried to keep up with him, but got lost in the crowd. For the meantime I found my way back to the locker area. I never went anywhere without my walkman. Harvey was a nice host, but I knew once we were done with the tour, I would have some time to myself. Just thinking ahead. I opened my locker, rummaged through my backpack and stuffed it in the pocket of flannel shirt tied around my waist. Sliding the headphones around my neck, I closed the door and Harvey was there leaning against the lockers. "Thought I would find you back here. Sorry, it gets so crazy in the halls every class change. You get used to it." The late bell rang,and we waited until the halls emptied out once again. "Let me show you two more classrooms before the lunch bell rings."

I follow him back down the hallway near the administration office. All the doors along this hallway were plain, not one stuck out. When I looked through the window of the next classroom, I instantly knew what was being taught. Everyone was partnered up, and sitting at lab tables surrounded by glass vials and beakers. At the front of the class was an average sized man, clean shaven with glasses and a shiny head. He seemed to be praising a tall lanky kid in the back of the room. "Is this chemistry with the infamous Mr. Fries?"

"Yup. Next to Mr. Pennyworth, I'm sure he is one of the next best benefits this school has. Every once in awhile he will get called away for special government projects. From what I've heard the teachers whispering about, he has a knack for cryonics. I'm sure the school doesn't pay him enough, so I assume he stays to be close to his wife."

I whisper under my breath, "What an interesting man." We move one door down, and he looks in first.

"Next we have Ms. Montoya. She is the resident math teacher, teaching algebra two and calculus. Being one of the youngest and newest teachers, she tends to be fun and easy going, so you should never be bored in her class."

I shrug my shoulders, "Yeah, math isn't my best subject. I tend to lean towards writing, history, and art." I peer into the room and see plenty of smiling faces. Ms. Montoya was on the short side with an athletic build. Her hispanic heritage showed in her flawless caramel skin. Her hazel eyes full of excitement as she drew linear equations on the blackboard. He tapped me on the shoulder.

"Hey, maybe we should get to the cafeteria early. Beat the crowd."

I gave him a smile, "Sure sounds good. I don't think I can stand another rush of people, especially ones who are ravenous for food."

He gave a laugh at that statement, "Since you put it that way, follow me." We doubled back and went down a completely different hallway. It wasn't very long. There were restrooms on the right side, and two sets of metal doors on the left. Busting through them, it opened up into a huge room filled with rows of wooden tables with round metal seats attached. One end had the area where you would line up for the usual grub. On the wall next to that was a huge salad bar for the more health conscious, and beside that looked to be a row of vending machines just in case the quality of the food was just not up to snuff.

"Once again. Amazing!" The bell for fifth period lunch rang. We made our way further in and took a seat near the doors on the right side. As the crowds of hungry kids pushed in he asked me if I wanted anything. I shook my head no. Little did he know, I tended to brown bag my lunch. No disappointment there, and no lunch money to be stolen. I took this time to bring the headphones up to my ears and drown out the noise from the room. Alanis Morissette's Hand In My Pocket played as I studied the room. Harvey was right when he mentioned chaos and clicks. Within ten minutes the room had some pretty defined dividing lines.

A couple familiar looking faces passed by. That tall, lanky guy from chemistry walked in at a slow pace, with his head buried in a book. His brown hair would get in the way, making him push up his glasses in the process of pushing it away. Right behind him was an average sized boy with a neatly kept strawberry red haircut. The clothes he wore looked very professional, for someone his age. Dress shoes, blue dress pants, a white button down shirt, and a dark blue vest. It made me think he wasn't from around here. Next in was Harley, I gave her a nod of the head as she waved hi to me on her way past. Harvey came back and sat down. I took off my headphones in courtesy. Pam walked in and took a seat beside him. I continued to watch as Bruce walked in and took a seat next to me. Harley came back with food, and sat next to Pam.

The last person to sit down at the table was someone I had not met. When he saw me, he gave a look of disgust. "Did you bring us another orphan Harv?" He was a short, rather heavy set, with black hair set in a bowl haircut and blue eyes.

Harvey raised his voice, "Enough Ozzy!" Pam held onto his shoulder to calm him down. "Why do you have to act this way with every new student?"

"Because clearly by the way she is dressed, she doesn't really belong in our little group. The closest interests she might have in common are with Miss queen of the rave." He pointed towards Harley.

She spit out some of her salad, "Hey! Watch your mouth bird brain!" Pam leaned over and whispered something in her ear, then pulled away with a smile. Harley repeated what she heard, "You should lay off the caviar and oysters, you filthy rich fat cat."

She met him with a scowl, and he laughed at her. "Oh. You came up with that on your own did you?"

Bruce butted in, "Ok. That's enough Oswald! Could you please lay off for at least the next couple days?"

He got quiet. "Sure. I can do that."

I took this opportunity to extend my hand towards him. "My name is Robin Hastings. I didn't catch your full name."

He shook back, with a tight grip. "Oswald Cobblepot, but you can keep it at Ozzy for now." With that the tension cleared a little.

I turned back towards Harvey, "So I'm starting to see what you meant about the clicks. Please explain the layout to me."

His mouth curled up in a smile, "Sure can." He pointed over to the far side of the cafeteria, near the beginning of the lunch line. "Starting there you have the table filled with the brains, bookworms, dweebs, ect. The main people who are picked on would be Jonathan Crane and Jervis Tetch. Crane is tall and hard to miss, and Jervis is the British foreign exchange student. The couple days we had him here were odd. He's an awkward person, so I'm kind of glad he could find a friend in Crane." His eyes moved back to the cafeteria doors. "On the other side of the room straight ahead of us are the jocks."

I interrupted him suddenly, "Wait. Why isn't Bruce over there? Isn't he the captain of the football team?" My eyes turned to him.

His blue eyes met mine, "I understand where you're coming from, but I know I don't really belong over there. I tried first year, but couldn't stand the way they treated people. It all ended in a fist fight when I tried to defend Crane once. Since then I've stuck it out over here with Harv. But there is one person you should watch out for. The quarterback for the team likes to target people. His name is Justin Moore."

I reconfirmed with him, "Ok. I understand now. It's good to see that not all jocks are total douchebags. No offense."

He flashed a smile, "None taken." My eyes scanned the room again. At the end by the vending machines, I caught a glimpse of a green mohawk.

"So what's the deal with the two groups by the vending machines?"

Harvey looked in that direction, "Well that's a bit hard to explain. So I'm sure if you choose to branch off from us, you will probably end up over there. They are the skater punks, who dress like you and seem to still mourn the loss of Kurt Cobain, and the Goths. Each has their own leader, but they only tolerate each other. The punks are led by Eddie Nygma, the guy with shaggy auburn hair and green eyes. The goths are led by Jack Napier, that lovely guy with the green mohawk I told you to stay away from."

Harley gave a giggle, and we all looked at her. "What? Maybe I think Jack's a cutie." Her eyes shift to Pam, "But Pammy thinks he'd be bad for me." She sticks a tongue out at her, and Pam rolls her eyes.

Hervey chimes in, "She's right. He wouldn't be any good for you. He would mess up your chances for a scholarship to Gotham State."

"So what about everyone else?"

"No one else really stands out. They are just your average student sitting with their best friend. They have their quarks, but no label."

Pam interrupted, "Don't forget to tell her about Selina." I saw the smile from Bruce's face disappear.

Harvey sounded annoyed, " Yes. I forgot about her. She and Bruce have this on again, off again relationship. She was apart of our little group, but recently decided to go off on her own."

Suddenly Bruce pounded a fist on the table, "She didn't go her own way! Her mother died eight months ago! She's now left with her little sister and a drunk father."

Pam reached over and put a hand on his then spoke. "What Harv has failed to mention is that she is going through a tough time. We all tried to let her know she could stay with us, but god knows she's stubborn. She's distanced herself from all of us while she copes. Although Bruce has told her she needs help, she won't go to the school counselor or even to a psychiatrist. And Bruce has even volunteered to pay, but she seems to have this affinity for putting everyone else before herself. Hopefully soon she will come to her senses and let me and Harley give her the loves she needs right now."

The mood was very somber, then the bell rang. Everyone got up without a word except me and Harvey. When everyone had left Harvey began, "I'm sorry you had to hear that. I was hoping I wouldn't have to tell you about her. But I guess I'm happy Pam brought it up. I hope she comes around soon. Let's go and see that last class." The late bell rang.

 **AN: Well I hope that last part was a shocker. This story needed a little hurt/comfort. It still isn't the end of day one, so stay tuned, and thanks for reading!**


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